


Emergency Friendship

by MCUsic_to_my_ears



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Brian Banner's A+ Parenting, Bruce Banner Feels, Bruce Banner Has Issues, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Hurt Steve Rogers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, References to Depression, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-11 01:07:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12924063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MCUsic_to_my_ears/pseuds/MCUsic_to_my_ears
Summary: Three occasions that Steve and Tony met in the waiting room of the local ER.





	1. Chapter 1

Looking about the bustling nurses, Steve finally sunk down into a purple chair.   
"Dr. Parsons to surgery. Dr. Jane Parsons to surgery," the intercom blared into the quiet waiting room.   
"Look kid, you can't go back there right now. Try one more time and I'll kick you out of the hospital," a security guard threatened some wild eyed teenager.   
"But he asked for me!"   
"That doesn't mean shit kid. Now take a seat," he asserted gruffly. The short teen flipped off the guard as he exited through the pristine doors to the havoc in the emergency room before dropping down dejectedly into the chair across from Steve.   
"What are you in for?" the brunette asked after messing around on his phone for a bit. Steve was fairly certain that he was now the unwitting subject of several late night snap chats.   
"I'm, uh, waiting for my mom," Steve said truthfully. He didn't mention that she was on her way to pick him up, not that she was in behind the set of double doors, as the boy probably thought based on his reaction.   
"Oh, that sucks. Hope she feels better." The teen stared at Steve pointedly, causing him to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Aren't you going to ask me?"  
Steve shrugged, "It's your business."  
"But I was nosey to you, so now you can be nosey to me. Fair's fair."  
Steve wet his bottom lip nervously, side eying the head nurse. She was speaking rapid fire on the phone. "Fine. Um, why are you here?"  
"My friend got himself hurt. They won't let me see him though."  
"Oh," the blonde glanced around the near empty emergency room. "I'm sorry."  
The boy shrugged. "I'm Tony, by the way. Since it seems that neither of us are leaving any time soon."  
"Yeah." Tony looked at him expectantly. "Steve. My name's Steve," he added after a moment.   
Tony went back to his phone after that, seemingly pleased with himself.   
"Hey, Jen. Yeah, I'm here with him. Well, I'm not with him, they won't let me in the room, but I'm at the hospital... He was pretty out of it on our way here, so I don't know what exactly it was... Are you on your way?" Tony's eyes flashed up at Steve. "I understand. I'll call you when they let me take him home."  
Steve's mom showed up a few minutes after Tony hung up.


	2. Chapter 2

A little over a month later Steve was back in the same emergency room at three in the morning. Another one of his frequent behind-the-school-yard brawls, this time with Rumlow instead of Strucker. The nurses who worked the night shift knew him pretty well at this point. Had tried to report him as being domestically abused twice now, before he admitted to the fights he'd participated in. They'd all chastised him for that.   
This time, he was in for a sprained wrist he got after Brock pushed him a little too hard onto the crumbling cement. A familiar looking brunette teen sat across from where he plopped down.  
"Steve? What are you doing back here? Had you pegged as a one and done kind of guy," Tony remarked, nodding toward the splint on Steve's arm.  
Steve grimaced. "Yeah, just got into a fight."   
"Just?" Tony raised an eye brow, but his attitude stopped there. His arms were crossed tightly around his middle and his foot was anxiously tapping.   
"Um. It's not uncommon for me to get ruffed up by the guys at school," Steve admitted.   
Tony frowned, glancing back at the doors that led into the emergency room.   
"Hey, are you, okay?" Steve asked. The bravado Tony'd displayed last time was diminished, if not gone.   
"What? Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just worried about my friend." He indicated his head to the door.   
"What happened to him?"   
"He. Nevermind. I'm not allowed to say."  
Steve nodded, not knowing Tony well enough to pry. The blonde glanced down at his phone, seeing a text from his mom, telling him that she was there. Steve frowned. Some unnamed force was telling Steve not to leave Tony alone right now.   
"Is someone else coming to wait for your friend with you?" Steve asked.   
Tony shook his head. "His cousin was supposed to be with him this weekend, but she got called in at work and didn't tell me. I didn't know that Bruce was home alone." There was something missing of the end of that sentence. "You're both in high school right?"   
Nodding, Tony took in a shuddering breath. "We're both juniors. You are too, right?"  
"Yeah, how'd you-"  
"I found your Facebook page, after last time. An Ariana Grande concert man, really?" Tony joked, but his voice lacked any real bite.   
Steve smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, but, um. Do you know how long he's going to be in there?"   
Tony shook his head no, looking down at his lap. "He'll- it was bad. Probably the next few days. They hold him longer than most people, even though he hates it." He swung his hands. "He'll send me home soon, once they let me back in back his room." Tony glanced up, "They won't let me in when they ask questions. They say it's cause I might influence his answers. I think they're right."  
Steve was silent for a minute. "Do you want me to wait with you until you're allowed back there?"  
Tony stared at him for a while. "No. No, go home. I'll be fine. I've spent lonely nights in the ER before." He sighed. "I'm fine."  
Steve gave him a weary smile before replying to his mom that he'd be out in a while and that he was sorry he was taking so long. 


	3. Chapter 3

"Now stop running around so much," a nurse reminded Steve, handing him another form to sign.   
He smiled sheepishly, playing with the blue medical bracelet around his wrist. "I'll try ma'am," he promised, thinking on all the times he'd needed to run from bullies after a fight.  
"Don't want to see you coming back here for a long while, you hear?"  
"Yes, ma'am."  
She nodded in satisfaction before turning back to her desk. It was a couple of months since his last run in with Tony at the hospital. He'd waited in near silence with him for almost an hour before Tony gave him a grateful smile and scurried back to where his friend was.   
Steve spun around to leave, he was going to walk home since his mom was still at work, when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tony and a shorter boy his age stepping out of the back rooms. The smaller teen had a matching blue band around his wrist that Tony had a finger looped through. When Tony spotted Steve he lit up, waving to him and dragging the boy Steve assumed was Bruce toward him. Steve met them halfway.   
"Look at you, you've grown since the last time I've seen you, Stevie, my boy," Tony teased.   
"Is this-?" the new teen asked. Tony nodded.   
"Steve, Bruce. Bruce, Steve," Tony introduced happily. They shook hands upon Tony's insistence.   
"It's nice to meet you Bruce," Steve smiled.   
Bruce nodded back, "Thanks for taking care if him," he replied.   
"Of course. He's a good guy."  
"I'm right here, you know," Tony protested but he slipped his hand into Bruce's contentedly. "You heading out, Steve?" Tony continued cheerily.   
"Yeah. I've got a bus ride calling my name," he lied.   
"I can drop you off. Where do you live?" Tony asked, swinging his and Bruce's hands back and forth as they started to walk out of the busy emergency room.   
"I couldn't ask that of you," Steve objected, following them out.  
The sliding doors shut behind them.   
"You're not asking, I'm offering."  
"Steve, just take the ride. He won't stop until you stay yes. We'll end up on the bus with you," Bruce stated flatly. Tony knocked against him playfully.   
"He's right," he singsonged.   
Steve sighed. "Alright then. If you insist-"  
"Which I do."  
"I'll go with you."  
Tony beamed. "You're too sweet!"  
Bruce smiled softly. He mouthed 'Thanks' to Steve before they piled into Tony's car. "Buckle in kids. Get ready for the time of your life."   
Steve chuckled softly. He was fairly certain it would be.


End file.
